Kids mimic their heroes.
A tennis player’s service action (remember J.P.McEnroe)
The soccer scorer’s celebration ( hopefully Timmy Cahill rather than Archie’s 2014 embarrassment!)
The bowler’s run up and delivery (Tangles Walker, S.K.Warne – not Paul Adams!)..
But footy is go, go, go… other than set shots for goal (not “at” or “on”!)
Last week two of the more distinctive kicking exponents had games of note.
Buddy nailed his last couple to finish with 2-7.
WCE Kennedy snagged 11 neat.
Franklin’s arc and the Kennedy stutter are readily identifiable – but won’t be coached… indeed, both players are attempting to “normalfy” their approaches.
In an era of sameness I reckon it is great to have some recognisable, idiosyncratic individuality to embellish balloon/sock footy and schoolyard skiting.
Who else springs to mind?
RGD Willis
GS Chappell batting stance
Asif Masood and RJ Hadlee
Steve Denton serve
JP McEnroe (a given)
Newk’s serve
Keppler Wessels batting stance.
Neville Fields angled kicking action (little bit like Daniel Rich)
Ted Whittens aerobatic kicking action
Tufnells catching
and to piss your mates off playing beach cricket ..Chris Tavare
Trent Cotchin on the burst has a distinctive kicking style.
Shiv Chanderpaul took french cricket to the Test arena
Ahmed Saad’s interminably long walk up to his set shot a couple years back.
Phil Krakouer’s double handed ball drop
Bob Massie re bowling around the wicket and now as a coach I detest kids trying to I imitate, Murali once 1 kid tries it with in 5 min nearly every kid is throwing which I then say right that’s it no more Muralis
After all these years I’m not far away from copying K. Bartlett’s comb-over.
Has to be DK Lillee’s bowling action
Brian Lara’s backlift.
Merv Hughes run-up and rev-up.
Gilbert McAdam’s one-handed cradling of the aggot as he ran.
I used to do a pretty good Froggy Thomson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86yOY0IzdZI
Peter Taylor’s offies in the backyard and Nathan G Brown’s cradle like kicking action in warm ups.
Has to be D.K. Lillee but also had a go at Kapil Dev
I’ve also tried Murali but just can’t bend the bowling arm more than 15 degrees properly….
As an SA kid of the 60’s I walked toward square leg after every ball, flicking up my collar and rearranging the ‘box’ which also drifted toward square leg during deliveries. Large step back and across as the bowler delivered.
IM Chappell with traces of Derek Randall.
Bowled loopy leggies with an extravagant Sincock/IMC/Terry Jenner action. Only succeeded in emulating TJ’s off field exploits.
On the golf course I started out as Bob Shearer with a bit of Ian Stanley thrown in. Playing better now that I have raised my hands at address and gone back to the Billy Dunk’s.
barry stonehams kicking
My old man looks just like Newk when he serves. I picked up Sampras’s front foot lift but sadly not the rest of his action / effectiveness.
As a bowler I picked up Ian Botham’s skip before delivery (after dallying with Geoff Lawon’s horizontal left arm) and spent years trying to get rid of it in attempt to gain pace – it never felt right without it.
Whispering Death – aka Michael Holding.
I used to argue with a teammate at training about who bowled like Holding the most.
If I ran into him tomorrow, we’d still argue about it…
The DK bowling impression had to conclude with the index finger either swiping off the sweat or raised at the ump in appeal.
DK and Sturt icon, Paul Bagshaw.
And, I must confess, Frank Spencer from Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
Which part of Baggy’s repertoire did you mimic Mickey – the shoulder high bounce, the triple blind turns, the 40 yard, 2 foot high stab pass or the checkside bare-arsed goal ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDzGfPGf-Nw
Mickey, just this arvo I was thinking of posting about Bagshaw’s distinctive high hands for his bounce and droppies
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Loved the Bagshaw balance and poise. How far did that torp go? He was inside the centre square. West Lakes in the early days from the look of it.
Some great players in the background. Flash Graham, the Jumbo Prince, Bob Shearman (ex Essendon and West Torrens) and John Tilbrook in the Double Blue. Is the tall bloke in #5 lifting the cup at the end Doc Clarkson?
Johnny Wynne in the Norwood #28 coming in with the late bustle. And Eric ‘Fritzy’ Freeman the #18 for Ports who toured England with Bill Lawry’s 1968 Ashes team.
Great stuff. Thanks Swish.
#5 is Greg Wild,
Doc Clarkson finished at Sturt in 1968, mainly because it wasn’t as challenging as his time with the Blacks.
Doc Clarkson was a lovely man it was a pleasure to speak to him at Blacks functions
A Adelaide University FC Legend !
Um, practiced the Richard Hadleee bowling action as a kid, starting the weekend before a First XI trial. It worked.
And, bugger me, the more I did it, the more it worked. But the more I did it, the more I wanted to start with the Hadlee stutter step as well.
Go figure.